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Yellowfin provides a Java web service API for connecting to the SOAP web services, but it is also possible to connect from practically any other programming language or environment such as .NET, Ruby and Python.

You need to have a Yellowfin user with rights to perform web services calls. Ensure that this is turned on in the user role. Click here to learn how that is done.

 

 

Calling Java API

The Yellowfin Web Service API contains pre-generated stubs. This can be used directly in applications that are developed in Java, or other languages that support Java integration, such as Cold Fusion or Lotus Script.

API can be called internally under Yellowfin Tomcat using JSP. The code samples can be found in the yellowfin/development/examples/webservices folder, once Yellowfin is installed. All you need to do is to copy the JSP files into the Yellowfin/appserver/webapps/ROOT folder and adjust the host, port number, and user details in the JSP files according to your environment. We recommend ensuring that you can achieve what you want using this method prior to replicating this with other languages or environments.

 

However, you can also call web services externally, that is outside of Yellowfin Tomcat. To do so, you will need:

  • yfws-<date>.jar which can be found in the development/lib folder in the Yellowfin directory. 

    Do not forget to get a new yfws-xxx.jar file after a Yellowfin upgrade (you need to download a corresponding yfws-xxx.jar file from the Yellowfin website).

  • Apache Axis: Refer to https://axis.apache.org/axis/ for more information on this.

 

A full objects’ definitions can be found at Yellowfin/development/doc/webservices/Javadoc/index.html

There are two ways of calling Java API, as covered in the following sections.

Using Pre-built Java Functions

You can use pre-built Java functions to call Yellowfin API. This makes development a little bit easier as you are using pre-built functions, rather than configuring each request manually.

The code samples regarding this method can be found in the development/examples/webservices folder. See the jsp files with ‘api’ in their names. A good starting point is copying files with ‘mobile’ in their names, into the Yellowfin ROOT folder and explore.

 

 

Performing SOAP Calls

Performing direct SOAP calls using Java generated stubs off Yellowfin WSDL.

All the code samples under Administration Service and Report Service sections are explained using SOAP calls in Java. In this Wiki, all the examples of using Yellowfin web services are explained assuming that you call Yellowfin API from Yellowfin Tomcat (that means you use JSP and all your files go to Yellowfin/appserver/webapps/ROOT folder). Using languages other than Java will not bring much complexity to the code.

 

Use this command to initialize the Administration web services:

AdministrationServiceService s_adm = new AdministrationServiceServiceLocator(<host>,<port>,<ServicePath>, <ssl>);        

AdministrationServiceSoapBindingStub adminService = (AdministrationServiceSoapBindingStub) s_adm.getAdministrationService();

 

 

Use this command to initialize the Report web services:

ReportServiceService s_rpt = new ReportServiceServiceLocator(<host>, <port>, <ServicePath>, <ssl>);

ReportServiceSoapBindingStub reportService = (ReportServiceSoapBindingStub) s_rpt.getReportService();

 

See below for an explanation of these parameters:


The primary objects include:

 

This object defines the type of call being made to the web service.

 

Object parameters:

Parameter NameTypeDescription
sessionIdString 
loginIdStringThis refers to a Yellowfin account with the web services role enabled. Must be a Yellowfin default (primary) org user.
passwordStringThis refers to the password of the above account.
ntlmBoolean 
orgIdIntegerThis should be always 1, which signifies the default org ID.
loginSessionIdString 
orgRefString 
queryString 
reportIdInteger 
dashboardTabIdInteger 
functionStringThis refers to the type of the call.
personAdministrationPerson 
groupAdministrationGroup 
reportAdministrationReport 
clientAdministrationClientOrg 
reportGroupAdministrationReportGroup 
favouritePersonFavourite 
contentResourcesContentResource[] 
importOptionsImportOption[] 
roleAdministrationRole 
retrospectiveDaysInteger 
binaryDatabyte[] 
peopleAdministrationPerson[] 
datasourceAdministrationDataSource 
sourceClientLinkAdministrationDataSourceClientLink 
sourceIdInteger 
scheduleAdministrationSchedule 

 

All parameters have corresponding “get” and “set” methods. For instance:

AdministrationServiceRequest sr = new AdministrationServiceRequest();
sr.setSessionId(savedSessionID);

 

It is not necessary to define all the parameters; each web service call has a list of the required parameters. Unspecified parameters will have a null value by default.

There are, however, mandatory parameters for any request, listed below:

  • loginId
  • password
  • orgId
  • function

Other parameters will be required depending on the function value.

Each request must contain the web service user details, that is who can call Yellowfin web services. This must be an existing user with the “Web services” role enabled, and these details should be specified as loginId, password, orgId.

 

 

This object is returned by the web service.

 

Parameters of this object:

Parameter nameType
ReportId Integer
StatusCode String
ErrorCode Integer
Messages String[]
SessionId String
LoginSessionId String
person AdministrationPerson
peopleAdministrationPerson[]
group AdministrationGroup
groups AdministrationGroup[]
roles AdministrationRole[]
reports AdministrationReport[]
reportGroups AdministrationReportGroup[]
report AdministrationReport
clients AdministrationClientOrg[]
client AdministrationClientOrg
personfavourites PersonFavourite[]
binaryAttachments ReportBinaryObject[]
contentResources 

ContentResource[]

importIssues ImportIssue[]
EntityIdInteger
parentDashboard ParentDashboard
parentDashboards ParentDashboard[]
parentReportGroups ParentReportGroup[]
binaryData String
contentType String
fileName String
queryResults ReportRow[]
datasources AdministrationDataSource[]
loadedDataSource AdministrationDataSource
schedule AdministrationSchedule

 

All parameters have corresponding “get” and “set” methods. For instance:

AdministrationServiceResponse ssr = doWebserviceCall(sr);

String statusCode = ssr.getStatusCode();

 

 

 

Yellowfin Session ID

Any response retrieves Yellowfin session ID. Each time you call to Yellowfin without specifying a session ID, Yellowfin opens a new session. It is not suitable for some web services (like passing dashboard filters to dashboard reports; all the reports must be called within the same Yellowfin session) or there may be memory issue with too many sessions being opened. You can save response sessionId parameter and feed that to the next calls:

String savedSessionID = ssr.getSessionId();

...

AdministrationServiceRequest sr = new AdministrationServiceRequest();
sr.setSessionId(savedSessionID);


 

Code Samples

Assuming you have Yellowfin running on 8080 http port with SSL disabled, initializing Administration service will be:

AdministrationServiceService s_adm = new AdministrationServiceServiceLocator("localhost",8080,"/services/AdministrationService", false);

AdministrationServiceSoapBindingStub adminService = (AdministrationServiceSoapBindingStub) s_adm.getAdministrationService();

 

Once you configure the request, you can call Yellowfin using remoteAdministrationCall() function of AdministrationServiceSoapBindingStub object:

AdministrationServiceResponse rs = adminService.remoteAdministrationCall(rsr);

 

Assuming you have Yellowfin running on 8080 http port with SSL disabled, initializing Report service will be:

ReportServiceService s_rpt = new ReportServiceServiceLocator("localhost",8080,"/services/ReportService", false);        

ReportServiceSoapBindingStub reportService = (ReportServiceSoapBindingStub) s_rpt.getReportService();

 

Once you configure the request, you can call Yellowfin using remoteReportCall() function of ReportServiceSoapBindingStub object:

ReportServiceResponse rs = reportService.remoteReportCall(rsr);

 

 

Other Languages

When developing against Yellowfin Web Services, it is possible to generate functional stubs against the WSDL definitions. These definitions can be found at http://<yellowfin-server>:<port>/services, for instance, http://localhost:8080/services.

The functional stubs will allow developers to make standard function calls in their native programming language which will directly communicate with the Web Services provided by Yellowfin. The process of creating function stubs should also generate any objects required by the webservice.

 

 

With .NET, we recommend generating stubs from JAX web services. You should be able to hit the JAX web services at: http://<yellowfin-host>/webservices/Hello. It will display something like this:

Connect your clients to the listed WSDL URLs.

 

There may be issues where data types between Java and .Net are not compatible. For example, Integer types that send through zero, rather than null. You might need to manually change the References.cs file to update the datatypes.

 

 

 

You can use Axis generated WSDL (http://<yellowfin-server>:<port>/services) with PHP. See examples of performing SSO using PHP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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